Engine drain or compression relief valve



J. G. BARCLAY ET AL ENGINE DRAIN OR COMPRESSION RELIEF VALVE Nov. 4, 1930.

Filed Dec. 18, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 'l wi kk d z'fieleazay Not 4, 1930. J. G. BARCLAY ET L 1,780,857

ENGINE DRAIN OR COMPRESSION RELIEF VALVE Filed Dec. 18, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Nov. 4, 1930 UNITED STATES TEN oFFicE JOHN GALILEO BARCLAY AND COLIN THOMSON BARCLAY, OF KILMABiNOGK, SCOTIJAND ENGINE DRAIN on COMPRESSION-RELIEF VALVE Application filed December 18, 1929, Serial No. 415,086, and in Great Britain October 22, 1928.

This invention relates to high-speed steam or compressed-air engines or locomotive or other engines using a pressure fluid as the working medium, and relates more particu- 5 larly to valves for reducing the backpressure of the exhaust, for relieving the compression in the engine cylinden or for draining the engine cylinder of condensed steam or other condensation liquid.

tion to minimize or eliminate the hammering of the valve on its valve seat owing to the sudden closing of the valve under the pressure of the live steam orother fluid admitted 16 to the engine'cy'linder during the working stroke of the engine piston.

The invention contemplates the provision of a dash-pot, cataract, or like pneumatic or other fluid brake connected to the valve or valve spindle.

The present invention also contemplates reducing the eflective area of the head of the valve upon which the live steam or other fluid) acts, the said area being reduced to 2 such an extent that thepressure on the head of the valve effects substantially silent closing of the valve, thus avoiding the aforesaid hammering eflect. The present invention also consists in constructingthe valve of the valve apparatus in the form of a duplex or multiple valve such as a double-beat, triple-beat or multiplebeat valve, the valve faces of the valve members controlling separate ports or valve seats, which through suitable passages establish communication between the end of the engine cylinder and the exhaust passage or drain passage.

The invention further consists in permitting automatic adjustment of thevalve faces of the multiple or duplex valve, thus ensuring that all the valve faces will bed firmly upon their corresponding valve seats'when the valve is closed and thus prevent any leakage of live steam or other Working flmd in the closed position of the valve. This adjustment may conveniently .be permitted by making the valve faces on separate abutting valve members and providing a slight clear- 513 ance between the valve members.

t is one of the objects of the present inven-v The present invention is applicable to interconnected or compounded back-pressure interconnected or compounded relief or drain valve of the kind in which two valves are coaxially mounted in valve chambers which communicate with the ends of the cylinder 'of a double-acting reciprocating engine and with a common exhaust passage or drain pas sage, the valves being operated by the steam or other fluid pressure in such manner that one valve is opened when too other is closed.

Reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings whereon I Fig. 1 is a cross sectional view of a compound or interconnected back pressure relief or drain valve with a liquid dash pot, and Fig. 2 is a sectionalviewon the line 22 of Fig. 1, the piston being omitted.

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a modified form of back-pressure relief or drain valve apparatus. a r

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the application of a double-beat valve to a back-pressure relief .or drain valve appa ratus. Fig 5 illustrates an adaptation of our inventionin which the valve spindles of the drain valve apparatus shown in longig tudinal section are each fitted with a dashpot. Figure 6 is a'view in section, partly in elevation, illustrating the use of auxiliary valves.

In the example ofcarrying out our invention as applied to aninterconnectedor compound back-pressure relief or drain valve shown -in Figs. 1 and 2, for doublesacting high speed reciprocating engines, two valves Sand-9 are coaxially mounted invalve chambers 18 and 19 which communicate b means of inlet ports 2 and 3 withthe ends 0 the engine cylinder'and with'a common exhaust or drain passage 5 and are operated by the steam or other fluid pressure in such a manner that one valve is opened when the other is closed. Thevalves 8 and 9 are fitted with spindles 1'0. and 11 guided in bearings 20 and i-a f, 4 .5?

21' screwed into the ends of valve chambers 18 and 19, the ends of the spindles abutting against the two end faces of .a piston 22 loosely interposed between the twovalve.

spindles, the piston 22 working in an oil or liquid dash pot cylinder 23 closed at. each,

end by means of the bearingsQQ. and 21 I which may be inthe form ofstuiiing glands as shown. The two ends of the oil orliquid cylinder 23 are connected by a bye-pass connection 24 which'maybe fitted with control cock to regulate the passage of the liquid 5 7. from one side oijthepi ston to the other. i

Thevalv'es'18v and 19 .cooperatecwith valve seats e-"and 7' which control communication .between the 1nletportsj2 and 3 and the drain [passage 5.- The valves 18 and 19 are each of the trunk typeand work within cylindrical fluid enters the inletport'2leading to valve esai vex 1165111 -u1( escao s tn :1 8 th d ha t ll l 1e l (ugh thevalve seat 6 into the drain passage 5, the

V main flow pressure on the head of the opposite valve 9 having closed the latter on to the valve seat 7. The closingmovement of one valve operates to [opentheother valve by reason of the eoaxialspindles 10 and 11 abutting on' the piston 22.

7 The valve head strikes against'a plug 1'1 when the valve opens; In consequence there- I v 7 s be made reasonably llquid-tlght'.by: the provisionoit' annular grooves 42 or labyrinth packing. F I

oft-he area of the'head'of the -valve acted upon by live, steam may be insuflicientto close the valve. Each valve is therefore preferably made with arecess in the head seat.

andwith one or moreports 16 through the head-inorder'to admit live steam into the interior of-the valve for closing it on to its The en or liquid cyl nder 23 may torm a distance piece between the'two valve ch'ambers 18 and 19 andmay be'connected tothe valve 'chambersby bolts, studs, or the like passingfthrough flanges 26 and 27,. formed grooves or notches .30 :into which a locking pin 29 isadapted to beinsertediso as to 'pre-' vent the. glands from working loose, the pins 29 beingfitted through screwed holes in the ends of the dashlpotfcylinder.23;

V 1 The piston 22 may be formed; with pas-i sagesthrough'it fron'ione' face-to the other in order-to allow restrictedpassage' of the liquid'irom one side of the piston to the:

other.

V In 'thetorm shown in Fig. 3, the valveis glands.

valve 48.

constructedwith distance pieces 35 fitted between the valve chambers 18 and 19 and the dash pot cylinder 28 containing the piston 22 against theend'faces of which the ends ofthe spindles 10 and 11 of the valves abut.

Thebearings 20 and 21 serve to close the 2 ends, of the valve chambers 18 and 19 and similar bearings36 and '37 'areadapted for closing the'endsofthe dash pot cylinder 23 but the bearings 86 and 37 may also be fitted with stutfing glands 88 and '39 constructed similar to the stufling glands 20 and 21 shown in Figs. 1 and 2; The" piston 22 isprovided with passages 43 throughit' from one end face of theipiston 'tothe other in order to;

allow restricted passage of the liquid from one side of the piston to the other, the number and size ofthe passages being arranged to suit the pressure of live-steam admitted to' the valves.

Drain plugs 44 befittedat each of the dash pot cylinder 23 to allow the oil a or, liquid thereinto be run off and drain holes 40 may be made in the bottom of the distance pieces 35 to drain ofi any, liquid; 1 which may creep past-the bearings or stufiing Apertures V 41 may also beimade in theside. of the distance pieces 35 to admit access to the stuffing glands 38 and 39 with @out disjointing the distance piecesfih. from;

thecylinder 23. The stufiing glandzlocking pins 29 in this case are fitted through thewall oftheIdistanc-e piece 35 V The. bearings ot the valve spindles :may

It is to be understood-thatany known type of dash pot, cataract, orlike fluid-braking.

devicemay be associated with the valve spindles. For example, 1t is not necessary that the two spindles 10 and 1-1 should abut-against an intermediate dash-pot piston 22. 7 Each spindle may be fitted with" its own dash pot I piston working in its owndash-potcylinder.

Such an arrangement is'shown in- Fig-b wherein two dash-pot cylinders, 46 are provided, ieach interposed bet-ween one endfo'f a distance piece 47 andthevalve chamber 18 or 19. Each valve spindle lOandll carries its own piston 48, which Works in one of the cylinders 46 and each cylinder has one end a self-closing inlet valve48 and a fixed: or'regulatable leak passage '49. The leak passage 49 mayialso' serve as any-inlet aperture,i thereby dispensing with the inlet cylinder 46 is fitted with one or more relief passages. or outlet connections 50 which may alsoserve to drainoffanyliquidwhich may integral with or separate from the cylinders 46and is formed with a central hollow beaning 51 for the-abuttingends of the valve spin- The othe're'nd ofi each dasl'i-pot passage from one end of the dashpot cylinder to the other.

2. A compound back-pressure relief or drain valve apparatus for a double-acting reciprocating engine comprising a pair of coaxial valve chambers communicating with the ends of the cylinder, a common outlet passage connecting said valve chambers, coaxial valves, one in each chamber, each valve being adapted to'close upon a seat formed between the valve chamber and the outlet passage, a valve spindle connected to each valve, a piston against which both of said spindles abut, and a dashpotcylinder in which said piston is situated.

3. A relief or drain valve apparatus for a reciprocating engine comprising a valve chamber having a plurality of inlet ports, each communicating'with an inlet'passage connected to the engine cylinder, one of said ports communicating with an enclosed space at the end of said chamber, a plurality of.

coaxial outlet ports in said chamber and coaxial therewith, each outlet port being constituted by a valve seat, a plurality. of coaxial valve elements, each adapted to seat upon one of said valve seats, one of said valve elements being constituted by a trunk piston which forms one confining wall of said enclosed space, said'valve elements being operatively associated to simultaneously close.

upon their seats under the pressure offluid admitted tosaid enclosed space, and automatic means for lifting said valve elements ofi their seats. 7 J i 4. Apparatus as specified in claim3 wherein said valve elementsare adapted to abut against each other, a slight clearance being provided between the valve elements to enable each valve element toautomatically adjust itself to its valve seat. 7 V I 5. A relief or drain valve apparatus for a reciprocating engine comprising a valve chamber having inlet ports at opposite ends, each communicatingwith an inlet passage connected to the engine cylinder, a main valve movable between said inlet ports and adapted to seat upon a valve seat in a transverse wall across said chamber, an outlet port opening into said chamber between said inlet ports, a second valve coaxial with the main valve and adapted to seat upon a valve seat forming an outlet port in the end of said valve chamber, said valves being provided with a slight clearance between them and being adapted to abut against each other dur- I ing their closing movement, and automatic means for lifting said valves off their seats. r

6. Apparatus as specified in claim 5 wherein the main valve is of the trunk type and formed with a central recess to receive. a'coaxial extension rearwards of the second valve. I

Apparatus as specified in claim 5 where in the ma n valve is provided with a rearward closed space at one endof its valve chamber,

a plurality of coaxial valve seats in each chamber, each valve seat communicating with its own outletpassage, a common outlet connection between the outlet passages of both valve chambers, a plurality of coaxial valve elements each adapted to seat upon one ,of said valve seats, one of said'valve elements in each chamber, being constituted by a trunk piston which formsoneconfining wall of said enclosed space, and means interposed between the valve elements of one chamber and th of the other chamber whereby the valve elements in onechainber are opened when the valve elements .of the other chamber are closed. i I

'9. Apparatus as specified in claim 8 havin't' a fluid brake associated with the valve elements for minimizing the hammering of saidelem'entsupon their valve seats.

10. Apparatus as specified in Y claim 8 wherein the. means interposed between the two sets of valve elements comprises a pair of valve spindles extending towards each other and each connected toa valve element of one set, a piston interposed between and forming an abutment for said valve. spindles, and a dashpotcylinder in which said piston is movable. v c

Signed at Glasgow, Scotland t is 27thday of November A. D. 1929. T JOHN Gr.v BARCLAY. COLIN T. BARCLAY.

dles. Ports 52int-he bearing 51 are provided to drain ofi any liquid which creeps past the pistons 48 tothe abutting ends or; the valve spindles, v c I I In order to still further minimize or Wholly "eliminate thehammering of the valves upon l thel'r seats, it is preferred to reduce flthe'effectivearea of the head of the valve, as here nafter described with reference to F g; 3

"of the accompanying.drawings. As shown Fig. 3 theefiective area of the head of the valve is reduced by the provision on the valve 8 01 9 ofa'reduc'ed extension 53 working in a guide chamber 54 which is open to The r; effective area of the head of theva'lveis then atmosphere through an aperture '55.

{constituted byftheshoulder 56 formed between the head of the valve and its exten sion 53. The said extension may becylindricalland work inacylindrlc'al guide chamher-'54: The aperture opens said chamber "to atmosphere an d prevents any steam which may leakthrough into chamber 54; fromac't- 'ingon the' end of the extension 53. The extension 53mins chamber 54; or both may be' fitted' With annular grooves (ii-packing La -ne t? r a event undueleakage of steani 1"" ho n nicationbetweenthe inlet port or 3 and Y the drainpass'age I r arejtwo'main valves 58, each of which may be either constructed as a hollow ported trunk" I valve similar to the valvesi8 and 9 shown in 3 Fig. 1 or Fig. 5, but they are preferably each provided with an extension 59 working in a guide chamber'60 as described with reference to Fig. .3 of the drawings. The valves 58 are coaxial-ly'mounted in valve chambers 61, each of "which communicates bymeans of an inlet port 62 with one end of the engine cylinder. 'Both valve chambers 61 also communicate by way of outlet connections 63 with a com-- 7 'mon exhaust passage or drain passage 64.

Each of the valves 58 is adapted to seat upon a valveseat 65 form d at one end of a cylinidrical valve chamber formed by a partition 66 in the valve casing 67.. The valve seat 65 j forms a port or passage between the inlet in a c v *5 ,be'fixed to or integral Withthe main valve 58 port 62 and the outlet connection 63. VVith in the valvecasing 67 and preferably coaxial with the main valve 5 is al'seeond or iliary valve 68 adapted to seat upon a second valvesea-t 69 which also forms a port or pas sage between the inletport- 62 and the outlet connection63. The auxiliary valve 68 may so' that the two valves ,close together, but it 6 is preferred to provide a slight clearance between thevalvesfl58 and 68 so that the closing movement of valve 58 will cause it to abut In the construction 'show nin Fig. 4; there againstvalve 68 to close.the lattenso that I both valves will closetight upon their valve seats and thus prevent any leakage of pressure fluid to the outlet connection 63 when the valves areclosed The auxiliary valve 68 ma y, as shown' n'Fig l, beprovided with a coaxial extension 70 fit'ting' into a 71 in the main valve .58.

In order that the valves at one apparatus will open'when the valves at the recess other end close, the auxiliary valves 68 may be fitted-upon or abut against the ends ofa end ofthe valve spindle extending between the twoauxiliary valves, but it is'pr'eferredto makethe spindle" in two halves 72 which either "abut upon each other as shown in Fig.6 or' abut against a dashpot pistonQQas shown in ig. l. and described with reference to Figs. 1'

and 3 of the drawings. 7

1 Although we have only. shown two valves 58jand 68 at each end of the drain valve appa ratus illustrated in Fig. 4, it will bemanifest from the foregoing description that" any number of auxiliary valves may be used in conjunction with a main valve and either tegral with, the main valve or separatetherefrom, each 7 valve member having its own valve seat.

As shown in F 4, thelmain valve 58 may be provided with a passage 7 3 to drain the recess 71 of [any steam or condensed liquid which mi ht otherwise be'trapped therein by the valveext'ension 70. Passages 74 and f 78 pluggedat 'their endsare also provided in the'end caps 7 5 andapertures 'i'i and 7 9 are provided in the end caps 75 for communication with the passages 74 and .78 respective- 1 'ly, Drain cocks (not shown) .may be screwed into theaper-tures 77, and lubricat 'ing' cups not'shown) maybefitted'to the chamber 61. This aperture 76 may be connected to a drain cock .(not shown) so that Steam may be blown through the valve chain ber6l for cleaning'purposeg 1 Claims.

axial valve; chambers communicating with the ends of the cylinder, a- .commonoutlet passage connecting said valve chambers, c0- axlal valves, one in each chamber, each valve being adapted to close upon a seat formed between the valve chamber and the outlet passage, mea n's interposed betweensaid ll A eqmpound i back pressure relief L01, drain valve apparatus for a' double-acting reciprocating engine comprising a pairof covalves whereby'either'val've is opened when the other is closed, said "means" includinga dashpot piston moving with thevalVes, a

dashpot cylinder in said pisto moves, 7

a bye-pass passageconnecting thetwo ends of said dashpot cylinder, a valve for controling the 119w .095 il id thr eghsa sl ihve p s apertures 9. A blow-through drainaperk j ture 7 6 may also be providedfor each valve 

